Car ownership

Hit by an unfair parking ticket? A new tool should make appealing easier

Unfair parking ticket

That familiar sinking feeling… Now there’s a new tool to help make appealing unfair tickets easier

Every year millions of drivers are hit with an unfair parking ticket – penalties that they don’t think they should have received. Now a new online tool has been launched to help drivers appeal these fines that they believe are unjust. The helpful portal was rolled out earlier this year by Brighton and Hove Council on the south coast. But by the end of 2016 it is hoped every local authority in England and Wales will be using it to help drivers deal with the Traffic Penalty Tribunal more easily.

Most don’t appeal an unfair parking ticket

Continue reading →

James Foxall Leave a comment

How to recover a car’s missing service history

How to recover a car's missing service history

A car’s service history is important but it could be missing for perfectly legitimate reasons (Picture © Mercedes)

No matter what shape and size, or how cheap or expensive the brand, every car needs to be maintained according to a service schedule that is set out by the vehicle manufacturer.

Often, however, the paperwork associated with the servicing of a car can be missing. That can be for all sorts of legitimate reasons, such as losing it during a house move or being mislaid by an elderly relative who is no longer driving.

Thankfully, recovering a missing service record is possible – and pleasingly straightforward. But it’s important to understand the significance of a service record.  Continue reading →

James Mills 26 Comments

Dashboard warning lights and what they mean

Lots of brightly coloured lights but what are they telling you?

Lots of brightly coloured lights but what are they telling you?

It may be the one thing that every driver dreads, but an illuminated warning light on your vehicle’s instrument panel could save you and your car from expensive damage. This is what the symbols mean and what to do if they appear.

Chris Rutt, service delivery manager for Volkswagen UK says it’s vital drivers pay attention to their car’s warning lights. “They are designed to alert drivers to a fault with their car or van and aren’t as complicated as some drivers may think. A red light indicates the driver should stop the vehicle as soon as is safely possible to investigate further; an amber light is an advisory signal. So while there is no need to stop immediately, the reason for the light should be investigated as soon as is practically possible by a servicing agent.”

Continue reading →

James Foxall 17 Comments

Most reliable car makers – and they’re probably not who you think they are

Reliable cars

Cars like the British-built Honda Civic feature at the top of the reliability charts (Picture © Honda)

The Japanese might make the most reliable cars according to breakdown data but it’s the German car makers who have the reputation for dependability. A new study has revealed that people think German motors are more reliable than they actually are.

The data was released by WarrantyWise, a company that specialises in selling aftermarket warranties for cars. It surveyed 750 drivers for their perceptions about reliability. The results show that many people’s idea of who makes reliable cars flies in the face of reality. Continue reading →

James Foxall 1 Comment

Drivers with start-stop cars pay the price for choosing cheap batteries

Cheap batteries

Fit the wrong kind of battery to a start-stop car and you might be surprised at how quickly it fails

Drivers are paying more than they have to for replacement car batteries because they don’t realise that cars featuring eco technology need specialist equipment. Frequently, cheap batteries bought for start-stop cars then fail relatively swiftly because they aren’t up to the job they’ve been bought for.  Continue reading →

James Foxall 19 Comments

Expert advice: Why wheel balancing is important for every car

Wheel balancing

Garages use special machines to ensure wheels are properly balanced

Wheels, a bit like tyres, aren’t something most of us spend much time worrying about. But having correctly balanced wheels can make a big difference to how comfortably your car rides and how quickly components like tyres, steering and suspension joints wear out. Here’s all you need to know about having your wheels balanced.

How do you know when your wheels are out of balance?

As your speed exceeds around 40mph, you might notice the steering wheel start to wobble in your hands. The faster you go, the greater this vibration becomes, to the point where it can be quite uncomfortable to hold the steering wheel, or – if it’s rear-wheel drive – the car feels as though it’s shuddering slightly.

Continue reading →

Mike Shaw 6 Comments

Motor insurance: What you are and aren’t covered for

Motor insurance

You don’t want this to happen before you discover that you’re not covered

Motor insurance used to be so simple. You bought comprehensive cover and you were pretty much covered. Or so most of us thought. But as insurers have worked hard to make the cost of premiums appear more attractive, so drivers are less likely to be insured for the things that many of us take for granted. Read on to see what your insurance premium may not include, perhaps contrary to what you might think. Continue reading →

James Foxall Leave a comment

How new glare-free headlamps will prevent drivers being dazzled

Glare-free headlamps

Ford’s new Glare-Free Highbeam system costs from £900 (Picture © Ford)

Glare-free headlamps which prevent drivers being dazzled by on-coming lights could be on a car near you in the very near future. In the 70s, the Manfred Mann hit Blinded by the Light could be heard coming from cars all over Britain. More recently, the song’s chorus has been adopted as a protest against super bright car lights.

Ever since the introduction of Xenon or High Intensity Discharge (HID) lights in the early ’90s on the BMW 7 Series, and Light Emitting Diode (LED) lights in cars such as the 2006 Audi R8, the brightness and intensity of headlamps has increased. Continue reading →

James Mills 3 Comments

Drivers using money saved on fuel to upgrade their cars – buy a fuel saver

Money saved on fuel

Mitsubishi Outlander is the best-selling plug-in car. Worth considering for urban drivers looking to save on fuel (Picture © Mitsubishi)

Thankful that the 2016 Budget didn’t lead to an increase fuel duty? If you’re like many drivers, you could be looking to spend the money saved on fuel to upgrade your car.

Online retailer Motors.co.uk conducted research which shows that the number of buyers looking at cars costing up to £300 per month to lease has increased by 78 per cent this year. Peter Watts, director of dealer insight at Motors.co.uk said: “Over the past few months, we’ve seen fuel prices reach their lowest since 2009, with supermarkets slashing their prices to below £1 a litre. To put this into context, at its highest price point, we were paying more than £1.42 a litre in April 2012 – that’s a saving of just over £25 for a 60-litre tank each time it’s filled up.”

Philip Nothard, retail specialist at car valuation expert CAP Automotive believes buyers are still looking for fuel-saving motors. He said: “We’ve been researching this extensively among motor dealers and they confirm to us that fuel economy hasn’t slipped down the list of priorities for the typical customer.” So if you’re one of the drivers looking to upgrade but want to hedge against future fuel price rises, here are our top five motors that will save you money at the pumps… and five to avoid.

Continue reading →

James Foxall Leave a comment

Car repair rights let drivers choose where crashed cars are fixed

Car repair rights

Drivers have the right to choose which bodyshop repairs their car after a crash (Picture © Mazda)

The accident that revealed our car repair rights happened right outside our village school, with a crowd of parents looking on. My wife couldn’t have been more mortified: a brief lapse in concentration caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to a third party’s vehicle and our family estate car. No one was hurt but worse was to come. It incurred the wrath of the headmistress, citing the crash in the school newsletter and asking parents to walk their children to school wherever possible.

The irony is, we walk our kids to school nearly every day, come rain or shine. But one of the few times my wife needed to go on elsewhere, the accident happened. I’m glad it did. It shone a spotlight on the confusing car repair rights process that drivers face when dealing with their insurer, and highlighted the number one consumer rule of accident repairs: the policy holder has the right to choose where their car is repaired.

Continue reading →

James Mills 1 Comment

Car exhaust emissions: What they are and why they may cost you money

Exhaust emissions

Smoke-like steam when you start up is normal. If it continues, your car could have a problem

The moment you turn your car’s engine on, exhaust emissions start coming out of its tail pipes. They could cause your car to fail its annual MOT test if examiners judge that too many harmful gases are being emitted. They could even land you with a fine.

There’s nothing drivers of internal combustion engine cars can do about small levels of exhaust emissions. They are, after all, the result of the chemical reaction taking place when fuel is burnt by the engine. But with tougher checks for cars’ exhaust emissions, find out how to stay the right side of legal. Continue reading →

James Foxall 1 Comment

Warranty woe: How new car drivers can keep their warranty valid

Warranty woe

You don’t have to use a car maker’s garage to preserve a new car warranty. You do have to ensure an independent follows manufacturer guidelines

Do you suffer from warranty woe? It’s a condition that befalls many drivers. Your new car comes with a warranty. But you’re a bit confused and concerned by it rather than viewing it as the comforting safety blanket that the car maker intends.

The majority of new car warranties last for three years and 60,000 or 100,000 miles. Some last for five or seven years. However, they all have at least two things in common: they protect you and the car against defects relating to materials, fittings and manufacturing faults; and you can invalidate them easily if you’re not careful.

In its most basic terms a warranty is a contract between the manufacturer and vehicle owner. The car’s maker promises to take care of repairing parts stated in the contract; the owner undertakes to maintain the vehicle in the way the car maker specifies. Continue reading →

James Foxall Leave a comment

How to prepare your car for the February half-term skiing holiday

February half-term skiing

There’s plenty to think about before you even get to the slopes

February half-term skiing is a popular pursuit for many British families seeking more than a sun lounger and swimming pool from their holiday. France, Italy and Austria are popular winter sports destinations for Brits, and their relative proximity combined with the hassle of navigating airports while heavily laden with all the luggage a skiing holiday requires means driving to the slopes is becoming an increasingly popular option.

However, it’s not all plain sailing. In the run up to Christmas 2014, 15,000 cars were stranded in the Alps when a sudden heavy fall of snow caught local authorities and police napping. Those thinking about driving to their skiing or snowboarding holiday need to prepare in advance. That way they’ll have a greater chance of enjoying a trouble-free journey, in addition to time on the slopes. Continue reading →

James Foxall Leave a comment

Hybrid battery problems: How they affect petrol-electric cars

Hybrid battery problems

Toyota Prius started the petrol-electric revolution (Picture © Toyota)

Hybrid battery problems courtesy of wiring faults are becoming a common cause of breakdowns with the increasingly popular petrol-electric cars. The old cliché is that modern cars have more computing power than the first Apollo moon rockets. It’s true but it also means they have more wiring. And the more complex the electronics, the greater the capacity there is for something to go wrong. Here we look at how battery problems can afflict cars that use electricity to supplement petrol or diesel power.

What kind of breakdowns hit hybrid cars?

Continue reading →

James Foxall 7 Comments

Insuring young drivers: What’s the best way?

Insuring young drivers

She may be ready to drive. But are her parents ready for what it’ll cost?

For many young drivers, becoming 17-years old and being able to drive is one of the high points of their life. For many parents it means anxiety and extra expense. The majority of young drivers probably won’t be lucky enough to have their own car instantly, and are likely to have to borrow mum’s or dad’s.

This means parents must make insurance arrangements, but what impact does insuring young drivers have on a typical premium? And when it comes to covering a car in their name, what’s the best way to go about it? We get some answers by talking to experts and parents about their experiences.

Continue reading →

James Foxall Leave a comment

Emissions shock: 95% of cars are illegal. What does it mean for drivers?

Emissions shock

New research says nearly every car pumps out illegal levels of toxic gases

It’s not just Volkswagens that allegedly pump dangerous toxins into the atmosphere, according to the latest emissions shock. New research claims nine out of 10 diesel cars on Britain’s roads exceed official limits for illegal gases. The study also found that 10 per cent of petrol cars surpassed nitrogen oxide (NOx) limits, set in 2011. And the majority of petrol cars go beyond EU carbon monoxide (CO) output levels.

According to Which?, part of the Consumer Association: “It’s not just Volkswagen. In fact, it’s not just diesel engines, either. It’s almost everyone. Whether diesel, petrol or hybrid, the majority of cars exceed EU emission limits when faced with our more realistic tests.” So what is the truth behind the latest revelations? And more importantly where, as drivers and car owners, do we stand? Continue reading →

James Foxall 1 Comment

Blue Monday: Tips to ensure at least your motoring will be happy

Blue Monday

Blue Monday could be bad enough without breaking down. Follow our tips for trouble free motoring

We’ve had black ice, now it’s Blue Monday, officially the most depressing day of the year. And of any day, this is probably the one that you don’t want made worse by car trouble. So here are 10 dos and don’ts to ensure you – and your car ‑ enjoy trouble free motoring.

DO:

Be kind to your battery

Turning an engine over is a tiring business for a battery. Cold weather thickens the engine oil and makes cranking the engine even harder, requiring more battery charge. To help your battery on its way, turn everything such as the lights, wipers and sound system off while you start the car. Dip the clutch too. It makes it easier for the battery to turn the engine, your battery will last longer, and it’s less likely to leave you stranded.

Continue reading →

James Foxall Leave a comment

Cost of replacing lost car keys jumps nearly a third in two years

Lost car keys

Lose your car key and it’ll probably cost more than you think

Replacing lost car keys is getting increasingly expensive. Drivers who get that feeling of dread in the pit of their stomach when they realise their car keys have gone AWOL would be well served to search more thoroughly. If they do have to replace the key to their vehicle it will cost more than in previous years. And ironically, the added expense is down to so-called ‘keyless’ technology.

New figures released by key insurers Keycare have revealed that drivers who mislaid their car keys last year had to pay 29 per cent more than they would have in 2013. Keycare looked into claims from 1482 drivers in 2015 and found that the average cost of replacing a key is now £215. However, that price can escalate to nearly £1500 if you need a new central locking system too.

Why is the price of replacing lost car keys increasing?

Continue reading →

James Foxall Leave a comment

Car servicing: save money and get the best service by shopping around

Car servicing: a Which? investigation found drivers can save over £200 in many towns and cities by shopping around 

Most drivers appreciate the need to have their car serviced on a regular basis. They will follow the vehicle manufacturer’s recommended service intervals, or with modern digital systems, keep an eye on a display in the dashboard which counts down the miles or days until a car next needs servicing. But when the time comes to have the job done, how many of us shop around to save money and get the best standard of work?

The answer is probably not many. It’s all too easy to go with convenience, such as a local garage. And with younger cars, drivers are often swayed by sticking with franchised dealers.

However, the hourly labour rates that greatly influence how expensive a car’s servicing bill vary greatly.

Continue reading →

James Mills 1 Comment

Expert advice: simple DIY jobs to keep your car working in winter weather

Simple DIY car jobs

Many garages offer to perform free winter checks on cars

No one wants to be stranded in winter, especially when we rely on our cars for visiting family and friends. Equally, we all want to spend time enjoying ourselves, rather than getting grimy carrying out car maintenance. That’s why drivers will like these simple DIY jobs that will keep cars in tip top condition in cold weather without taking hours to do.  Continue reading →

Mike Shaw 1 Comment